Printing and inking means



March 8, 1960 E. PERSSON PRINTING AND mxmc MEANS Filed May 31; 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 REP! it! INVENTOR.

Elm 37 PE/FSSO/ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 31, 1957 INVENTOR.

ERA E67 PE/PJJOA/ United States Patent PRINTING AND INKING MEANS Ernest Persson, New York, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Friden, Inc., a corporation of California Application May 31, 1957, Serial No. 662,826 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-235) In such machines, work pieces such as mail pieces,

cards, envelopes, checks, or the like are fed along a singlefile course past a rotary printing die, each work piece to receive a printed impression during its travel across the die. The printing die is intermittently operated to produce spaced impressions, each on a succeeding work piece. In mail handling and like machines, no attempt is made to maintain an exact and fixed spacing between the successive work pieces, and the spacing may vary according to the random rate at which the work pieces are entered into the machine and let into the single-file course. Further, the work pieces, such as letter mail, may be of different, miscellaneous lengths. Notwithstanding variations in spacing between successive work pieces and in their lengths, it is required that the printed impressions be made in corresponding definite locations of the work pieces. Accordingly, a cycling printing die is employed, each cycle being started under control of the leading end of the work piece next to receive the printed impression. Each printing cycle thus will occur in the same timed relation to the leading end of each work piece, and the impressions will be made intermittently in corresponding areas of the work pieces, each at a definite distance from the leading end of each work piece.

Heretofore, despite the irregular intervals at which the successive printing cycles may take place, ink has been supplied to the printing die at a constant, uniform rate. As a result, the printing die has accumulated excess ink, with the harmful effect of producing smudgy, indistinct impressions on the work pieces.

The object of the invention is to avoid the application of excess ink to the intermittently operating die, and the making of smeared impressions on the work pieces, by regulating the feed of ink to the die in accordance with the frequency of printing operations or cycling of the die.

More specifically, the invention provides for operation of ink feeding means in timed relation to the printing cycles. According to the invention, the ink feeding means and the printing die will be geared together, so that operations of the ink feeding means will occur only during the intermittent printing operations.

In the specific embodiment of the invention, the printing die will be an element of one-revolution mechanism and reduction gearing will be used between this mechanism and the ink feeder so that one complete cycle of the ink feeder will take place during a number of cycles of the. printing die, the ratio being chosen to provide for feed of the proper amount of ink to the die to enable it to make clear, sharp impressions.

Other objects of the invention will be clear from the detail description, the claims, and the drawings.

Fig. l is a top view, partly sectioned and broken away, of the pertinent portionof a mail handling machine incorporating the invention.

, 2,927,532 Patented Mar. 8, 1960.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections, on a reduced scale, taken along lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken along line 4-4 of Pi 2.

lhe detail description will consider the specific use of the invention in a mail handling machine such as disclosed in the aforesaid Patent 2,737,885. Thin fiat work pieces, such as letter mail, upright-positioned and properly faced, are inserted, usually in bunches, at a random rate into an input station of the machine. From the input station, the mail pieces are fed endwise, one after another, into a single-file course along which they continue past a postmarking and stamp canceling station to a stacking station.

Fig. 1 shows the portion of the machine embracing the postmarking and stamp canceling means and associated elements including inking means. A mail piece, W, entering the single-file course. is advanced by a first pair of feed rollers 5 and 5a to a second pair of feed rollers 6 and 6a. Feed rollers 5 and 6 are driven positively by suitable constantly running motor-driven gearing, so that the feed roller pairs effect continuous feed of each work piece. The feed rollers bring the work piece to a printing couple comprising platen roller 9 and a rotary printing die 10 which bears the types required to produce the desired postmarking and stamp canceling impression on the face of the mail piece.

The mail pieces may vary in length and the intervals at which they follow one another along the single-file course also may vary. It is required, however, that the printed impressions be made on each mail piece in a definite location relative to its leading end. Accordingly, the printing die 10 is intermittently cycled, the start of each cycle being timed by the mail piece feeding into printing position. Specifically, die 10 is an element of one-revolution mechanism which includes a driven vertical sleeve shaft 11 rigidly carrying the die body. Rotatably fitting through shaft 11 is a drive shaft D journaled at the top in a horizontal bracket 12 which is mounted above top frame plate 13 by posts 14. Shaft Dis supported at the bottom in the frame and is rotated by gears Dg which are elements of the continuously running motordriven gearing of the machine. Above the die 10, driven shaft 11 carries an arm 15 fixed relative to this shaft and the die and rotatably mounting a stop roller 16. Any suitable impositive clutch may be used to drive shaft 11' from shaft D. The particular clutch used is shown in section in Fig. 4 and includes a driven clutch center ring 17 slidably keyed on shaft 11. The drive clutch assembly includes a vertically slotted saddle 18 pinned to shaft D and rigidly mounting a lower friction disk 19a. Passing through the slot in saddle 18 is the cross pin of an inverted T plunger 20, the stem of which extends into the upper, hollow section of shaft D and is under a coil spring 21 retained inside the shaft by a cap 22 (Fig. 1) at the top of the shaft. On the ends of the cross pin of plunger 20 is shouldered means 23 hearing down on a mounting ring 24 for upper friction disk acts through plunger 29 and shouldered means 23 to press the disk 1% against the upper face of clutch center ring 17 which, in turn, is forced down into tight contact with the lower friction disk 19a. Through the described friction clutch, continuously rotating shaft D will rotate shaft 11 of the one-revolution printing die mechanism upon release of the mechanism by trip means.

The trip means includes a detent roller 26 engaging the stop roller 16 of the one-revolution mechanism. Roller 26 is on the end of an arm 27 of a lever pivoted at 28 and having an'opposite arm 29 connected toa spring 30. A link 31 connects arm 29 to a trip lever '32.

The triplever is fulcrumed at 33 on a lever 34 biased" 1917. Spring '21 aaameaa a floating fulcrum mount for the trip lever. In stand-by condition of the parts, the tip o'f'trip lever 32 is in the path of the mail piece coming into printing position, and the centers of rollers 16 and Z6 and pivot 28 are in line. Only a light impact of the leading end of the mail piece against the tipof' the trip lever is sufficient todisturb the alinement of centers, releasing roller 16 and the one-revolution mechanism for rotation by drive shaft Di. In the early period ofrotation, roller 16 cams roller 26 out of the way. When roller. 16 passes roller 26, spring30 returns roller 26 to position to intercept roller 16 and stop the one-revolution mechanism at the end of a single revolution. After the. controlling mail piece has impacted the trip lever 32 to initiate. the one-revolution cycle, it rides past the tip of the trip lever and into the bite of platen roller 9- and'die 10. During the revolution of the die, it prints on the mail piece while coacting with the platen roller to ejectthe mail piece to the stacking station. When the. lagging end of the mail piece has passed'beyond the tip of' trip lever 32,. spring 35 acts through lever 34 to restore the trip lever to shown position ready for impact by the next mail piece.

It is evident that the intervals between printing cycles varywith the lengths of the mail pieces and with the spacing between successive mail' pieces. Heretofore, ink has been fed. to printing die 10 at a constant, uniform rate regardless of the random intervals between printing cycles. This has resulted in supply of' excess ink to the printing die and in the consequent making of smeared,. blurred impressions. The, present invention takes account of the random frequency of operation of the printing die; by'actuating the ink feeding means only during printi'ng cycles, thereby avoiding the application of excess. inkto. the die. The inking means includes an ink supply tank 40 dependently attached to a tank cover 41 flanged to rest on topframe plate 13 and-to. be secured thereon by screws 42. Supported between the sides of tank cover 41 is a rocker shaft 43 on which is fixed anv arm 44 terminating in-an arcuate face cam 44a. Alongside arm 44, shaft 43 freely carries a sleeve 45 having an arm 45a attached to which is. a flexible ink feederarm 46. Arm 46 is provided intermediately. with a cam. follower assembly 46a and at its outer end carriesan. inking pad 47 of suitable material such as leather. A

wire spring 48 connects at one end to rocker arm 44 and passesaround sleeve 45 into connection at the otherend with astud 45b extending from sleeve arm 45a. The spring 48 forces ink feeder arm 46 to move with rocker arm-44 except when the arm 46 is. stopped. On the. down. stroke of the. arm 46. with the arm 44, inking pad 47 clips into the ink fluid and takes on ink. 0n the en.- suingup stroke of arm 46, its cam follower assembly meets. a fixed pin 50 which stops further upward movement of arm 46 while arm 44- continues moving upwardly to. the end-of its stroke. During the upward travel of arm 44.relative to-arm 46, the cam 44:: acts on follower. 46a. to flex. arm 46 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, causing. the'inking pad 47 to move'througha side opening,41a of cover 41 into inking engagement with a continuously turning ink'transfer roll52. Shaft 53 of roll 52; is. rotated by the. continuously running motor-driven gearing including gears ,54 and 5S. Engaged between a 4 of gear 62 carries a worm. 64 meshed with a worm wheel 65 at one end' ofa horizontal shaft 66. At the other end, shaft 66 carries a disk 67 having a crank pin 68. A connecting rod 69 extends between crank pin 68 and a crank arm 70 fixed on the external end of rocker shaft 43. During each revolution of shaft 66, shaft 43 and inkfeeder 46-47 will make one oscillation. The quantity of ink fed to the printing die depends on the drive ratio between the one rev'olution mechanism andthe ink feeder. In practice, a ratio of 15 to 1. has been found satisfactory; to supply the printing die. with thecorrect amount of ink to make clear and sharp impressions. 7

It is understood that the one-revolution mechanism may be replaced by single-cycle mechanism having a cycle of a fraction of a revolution or by single-cycle mechanism geared to the printing die and ink feeder instead of directly incorporating the die. It is also understood that other variations may be: made in. the. form and details of. the specifically disclosed embodiment,- without departing from the purposefand spirit. ofv the in, vention. It is intended therefore" to be limitedonly as indicated by the scope of. the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for handling work pieces. such as letter mail or cards or the like, comprisingv means including continuously rotating, feed rolls for automatically feed ing the work pieces, one after another, to and past. anv imprint-receiving position, a continuously rotating drive shaft, a one-revolution driven shaft mounting a printing member, means including a. trip device operated by each successive work piece feeding into the imprint-receiving, position for enabling the driven shaft tov be: actuated bythe drive shaft through a one-revolution cycle during; which the printing member effects printing operation on. the trip-operating. work piece, in combination withink-- ing means including continuously rotating ink transfer-' means in constant ink transferring relation to the. print-- ing member, an ink supply tank, a reciprocatablev ink. feeder at rest between printing-cycles and mounted-be tween the ink supplyin. the tank and the ink transfer means for an ink taking stroke downinto the'ink supply: and a reverse stroke completely out of the ink-supply into ink delivering engagement. with the ink transfer means, and reduction drive. connections from the one revolution driven shaft to the ink feeder for effecting aa single reciprocation of the ink: feeder for a. plurality,- of printing cycles, so as to take ink fromthe supplyand deliver the ink tothe continuously rotating: ink transfer means only once during a: plurality-of the printingopera tions, thereby to ration the. quantity; of. inktaken and.- delivered by the ink feeder: in submultiple proportion: to the frequency of the. printing operations.

2. A machine as defined in' claim 1, including a rock:- able shaft mounting; the ink feeder, saidi reduction drivel. connections including constantly meshed reduction gearing ;driven from the one-revolution. shaft of the printing member and terminating ire-an. end shaft performingone revolution for a' number of revolutions of. the; one-- revolution shaft and'printing member-,and.crankconnec roll SZ-and printing die 10 is a felt covered inker roll 56- for; transferring ink from roll 52 to the die.

The amountof. ink fed to transfer rolls. 52 and 56- and,.hence, the amount of ink applied to printing die- 10.

depends onthe-rate at which ink feeder 4647 operates.

According to the invention, the frequency of-operation of;

the ink feeder is made. proportional to the intermittent printing; operations by driving-:the ink feeder from the;

(IIIEiIC'l/OllltlOIl mechanism which includes. the printing;

die}; The;drivenneans-includea gcar-ll'fixed ondriven sleeve shaft 11 of the one-revolution. mechanism; 'Iihroughz idler. 61,, gear 60:. drives, a gear; 62 Shaft 63;

tionsbetween said end shaft and said rockable shaft for producing a reciprocation of therockable shaft andof;

the ink feeder thereon at each revolution. of the; end;

shaft.

References Cited in -the file of. this patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS. 1,234,403 Smith .Ju1 24;. 1913' 1,317,224 Schmidt Sept'..30,, 191 9. 1,785,158 Tornberg, v Dec. 16,. 19.30 1,973,700 Brownsey Sept. 18,. 1934 2,371,070 Sager et a1- Mar. 6, 19,45, 2,547,470 Jankes .......a- Apr; 3, 19.51

Her-tech; Mar.. 6., 

